Worker Node
In plain terms
A node that runs application workloads in a cluster.
Going deeper
Worker nodes execute the pods/containers scheduled by the control plane, providing the actual compute. They do the real work.
Under the hood
Run kubelet, kube-proxy, and the container runtime; scaled to meet workload demand.
Examples
Running pods, cluster compute, autoscaling, Kubernetes nodes.
Think of it like...
Like the factory-floor workers carrying out the manager's assignments.